Strawberry Shortcake
by Manda-chan
Summary: He promised her. She was counting on him. And he'd keep that promise. ...Enjoying his own methods of doing so was just an added bonus. (CxR)


Hey again, everyone. First and foremost, I want to offer a huge "Thank you" to everyone who left a review for _Blank Pages_. I was really nervous about entering Chrno Crusade fanfiction, but I feel a lot better now. And so I've begun working on another idea right away(even though I've been kind of lost for where exactly this I was planning to go with this fic...)! I write pretty long though, so please be patient with me. I like to offer individual feedback to reviewers for my first CC fic (Blank Pages), so I hope you don't mind.

**Aiko**: Thank you very much. I do think Rosette can be submissive at times. Beneath her firey exterior, she's still emotional and prone to the effects of those emotions (in my opinion, anyway). I'm glad Chrno is satisfying a fangirl or two, lol. I think he may have a similar effect in this fic...

**James Lee**: Thank you!

**davis45108**: It was supposed to be a one-shot...but due to the reader's requests, I may do a sequel-type thing or continue it in some way. I'm working on methods. I'm glad you liked the twist on Chrno. Deep down, I think he does harbor some tendancies like that. He's just not very open. Thanks for the review!

**ChibiSamiSala**: You have no idea how pleased I am to know it flowed! I've had so many problems with the flow of stories/fanfiction in the past that it's not even funny. I've been working hard on that, but Blank Pages was probably some of the best ground I've made with it so far. I do agree with Rosette's lack of patience, but I guess some pieces are always going to be a bit off during writing. And the Chrno I portray is more like manga Chrno, so he'll probably seem quite OOC. But he is a demon, so I think he could very well have those types of thoughts and actions. Anyway, thank you very much for reviewing!

**Zillenoise**: I'm really glad you liked it! I do see Chrno in a darker light in some ways and that will commonly be reflected throughout my CC fanfiction. I take what I see of him from the manga, not the wimp he is in the anime, lol. Thank you for the review!

**Ongaku Neko**: I'm glad you think it was interesting. Still not sure about continuing it (or how to, for that matter), since it was only supposed to be a one-shot. But I'll see how it plays out. Thanks for the review!

**unicornhime**: Yeah, I can see Chrno like that, too. A little too much, actually. XD I'm a fluff-maniac. If you didn't get that from the last fic, I'm certain you will from this one. Haha! Thanks muchly for reviewing!

**Maiden of the Moon**: Yeah, I think you're right about the angst afterall. I guess I was just being hopeful since I've had almost no experience in writing anything angsty. XD; I'll get it sooner or later. I don't know about a sequal/continuation yet...I've had plenty of requests to do one, but I'm still not sure how I want to continue it. But if I work one out, I'll post it. Thank you very much for reviewing! And I love all your CC fanfics! Keep writing.

**ingri**: Whoa. Thank you very much for the compliments! I'm nearly speechless. I really hoped I could enter this area of fanfiction and not do a horrible job of portraying the characters. You've really given me some self-esteem and hope! Thank you very, _very_ much!

**MizuiroSnow**: It was supposed to be a one-shot. It may or may not be, I'm still deciding due to the numerous reviews requesting that I continue. So I'll see about it in the future. I do write pretty long even with one-shots, though. I hope that will be enough for now. Thank you for the review!

**silent:tears:fall**: Thank you! I hope this second try at a CC fanfiction won't be too bad.

**Squee Doodles**: I have a confession to make: I only have wordpad to work with. ;;; My computer was recently rebuilt, so I have no spelling/grammar checker available. Thank you for the corrections! And I am keeping on writing! I'm glad you like their portrayal. That was what I was most afraid of people possibly flaming me for. Thanks for the review!

**elyssalyn**: I don't mind sharing! Hehe. I don't know about a couple hundred, though. Maybe eventually. I do write pretty long though, so I hope that will be satisfactory enough for now. Thank you for the review!

**Romulus901**: I can hope so, ne? Thanks for reviewing!

**Lillian Claire**: Manga Chrno inspires me. He seems to be hiding a lot of his seemingly darker side, so I play around with bringing it up to the surface. I'm still thinking about continuing it. My head is spinning from how many reviews requested that I do continue it. I'm still working on how, but thanks for the suggestions! I'll see what I can do.

**Shado-Fyre**: Lots of other reviews seem to have your way of thinking, so I may very well continue _Blank Pages_ when I think of what I could do with them next. I hope it will be worth the wait.

**Jazzy Uchiha**: Thanks! This is only my second fic for CC now, but I'm definitely continuing to write fanfiction for Chrno Crusade!

**Aurora Slytherin**: Yeah, my take on the characters is more related to the manga. Especially the darker aspects to Chrno. That will probably be represented in most of my CC fanfiction. I'm glad you liked it, though. Thank you for the review! And when you do get the courage to write a CC fanfic, I'll look out for it! Thanks for the review!

**Feral Panda Chick**: Well I'm honored that you think so. I hope this one will suffice for now.

**deity of death1**: Lol! Thank you for the review! Here's another fic. XD

**Angelstars**: Thank you very much! And I'm definitely continuing with writing for CC fanfiction. And this fic is living proof.

This particular story will be more along the lines of what I'm known for in the fanfiction world. That is, _Comedic and Romantic_ elements will carry the main role in this one-shot (not that I won't try to add a few other pieces of genres in at various points). I tried to make the last one angsty, and I suppose it ended up with more humor than angst (I'm really not experienced in writing that sort of thing, so I'll work on it in the future, I promise ;). I _do_ interpret the characters in my own way on certain levels...I prefer the manga approach. So some of you still may count this as OOC, which you're welcome to do. Personally, I like the manga a lot more than the anime, so I will continue to base the characters off of what I see in that, as opposed to the anime. I apologize in advance if that causes any problems for readers.

Summary: _He promised her. She was counting on him. And he'd keep that promise. ...Enjoying his own methods of doing so was just an added bonus. (CxR)_

**Note**: I only have wordpad to use in writing these fanfictions, due to my computer having crashed, burned, and been rebuilt with new software and stuff. I'm too cheap to go out and buy mircrosoft word, so I'm sorry. Spelling/grammar checking is not available to me so please forgive my mistakes!

Disclaimer: I don't anything from Chrno Crusade, so don't sue me!

Sit back and enjoy the read (I hope)!

...

**Strawberry Shortcake**

...

The violet-haired demon boy sighed as he turned to face his blonde companion."The real reason is because you were only causing more destruction when trying to help _repair_ the damage, Rosette."

**TH-KWHAM.**

Faster than the eye could catch, the said companion had hurled a familiar metal object toward her offender, slamming the poor oblivious demon right smack in the middle of his forehead. A strangled cry of pain released from the target as he fell back upon the ground, clutching the red lump below his headband.

At least he couldn't say her aim hadn't gotten any better, she thought with a satisfied huff.

Chrno moaned in pain as he rubbed his forehead gingerly, casting a glare at the assault object. "That could have gone off and blasted a hole through me, you know!" he accused, switching his glower from the gun to his Contractor.

She shrugged, ignoring his comment and twisting her arm around a few times. "That was quite a throw, if I do say so myself. I nearly pulled a muscle."

"Yeah, be more worried about pulling a _muscle_ than firing a Sacred through my _forehead_," he mumbled, getting to his feet.

"You're such a baby," she said, pinching his cheeks before stooping to pick up her fallen weapon."We're almost there, whiner."

Biting back a reply that was certain to earn him another dose of Rosette's Pain-Inducer, the crimson-eyed boy knelt down and picked up the fallen wicker basket, picking up pace to trail along after the eccentric girl.

It was a vacation, of sorts. Nothing fancy. A simple couple of days to unwind as heavy repairs were being done at the Magdalan Order's base in New York. For once, it hadn't even been Rosette's fault, where the _original_ damage was concerned. But she had attempted, along with Chrno, to assist in the repair job. And that just happened to be where her help became more of a curse than a blessing. Two entire sections of the North Wing suffered collapse due to her hot-headedness.

Thus Sister Kate had quite _insisted_ that Rosette and Chrno were given a small leave, at least until they could be sure anything potentially breakable would be safe from Hurricane Rosette.

Not that Rosette had been previously told the _truth_ behind their eagerness to see her away for a few days...

"As usual, you've got it all wrong, Chrno," the young nun declared, waving her index finger back and forth. "Father Remington said I'd been working hard and that he really appreciated my help with the repair job. He merely assured me that there were plenty of people around to give assistance and that I deserved a break." She crossed her arms, a haughty grin lifting up her lips.

A sweatdrop lined the side of Chrno's face as he sighed. "You lap up _anything_ that man says," he grumbled.

She cast a warning glance to him over her shoulder as they continued their promenade. "You've got one lump on your forehead already. Want to make it two?"

He shook his head tiredly and sighed once more, opting to change the subject. "Where are we going again, Rosette?"

"You'll see when we get there," she stated simply. "Though it's a shame we couldn't take the car out this far."

'_No, it's not a shame. It's a small mercy_,' Chrno thought, recalling her maniacal driving from earlier, but wisely didn't speak aloud. The last thing they needed to do right now was start viciously fighting in the middle of nowhere.

The golden-haired exorcist suddenly picked up her pace, giggling childishly as the wind blew strands of hair across her face. Chrno had to smile at the sight. Whether Rosette was tearing through something in a rage or bursting with joy, she was always so full of _life_.

His watchful crimson eyes caught a glimpse of the clock around her neck, shining innocently in the sunlight. The smile on his features quickly faded.

Yes. She was so full of life. And he was slowly stealing it away from her...

A warm hand suddenly grasped his own and he glanced upward with a blink of confusion, not having realized his gaze had shifted to the ground. Sapphire jewels glinted back at him, filled with excitement, and the hand gripping is own tightened a fraction as she pulled him forward. "Come on, you slow poke!"

A noise of surprise escaped his throat, but he let himself be guided along behind her cheerful form. Her laughter lifted the air around them and the smile returned to his lips, unbidden but welcome just the same. Her happiness was so contagious.

"Isn't it nice to be out together and not on a mission, for once?"

He caught the wistful note in her tone, slowly coming to a stop alongside of her as they reached the end of the grassy plateau. "It is," he agreed, staring out over the expanse of land before them.

The scenery was quite similar to that of Michigan's countryside. Trees laced in an out of small streams and plains of wildflowers, hills gently sloping the land in an appealing manner. And a scarce ten yards or so from the plateau they were standing upon, was a grand crystal-blue lake.

Ruby eyes blinked. If he could so easily see the resemblence of this place to to area around Seventh Bell, surely Rosette would. Why would she come to a place like _this_? Did she really want to reminded of the past all over again?

"Joshua..." Rosette whispered forlornly, as though reading her demon comrade's thoughts.

Chrno frowned. She had been so happy just a few moments ago and now her voice was sullen and distant. This always seemed to happen when they had a moment together away from the hustle and bustle of devil extermination.

He sighed softly and turned his back to her, his steady gaze casting casually over the crest of the calm lake. The demon boy didn't know what to tell Rosette when she locked into "I miss my dearest brother" mode. She had every right and reason to be upset by his disappearance. He knew that. He did. He _did_, but...

Would having some time with her and _without_ the shadow of Joshua be too much to ask?

Chrno bit his lip lightly with the tip of his canine. He was being selfish. That wasn't fair to Rosette.

And selft-loathing might have ensued from the thought, that is, if a girlish yelp followed by a scream of desperation hadn't reached his sensitive ears.

As if by instinct, he dove after her falling form the second he heard her yell of surprise. And by some miracle of speed, he reached her before they hit the grassy bottom below the plateau, securely wrapping his arms about her form and twisting himself underneath her to bear the brunt of the fall.

It wasn't a really long drop, thankfully. Enough to knock the wind out of him for a moment upon impact, but certainly not enough to severely injure either one of them. "Are you alright, Rosette?" the demon questioned, lifting his head up slightly as he eased one crimson eye open.

But he soon realized it wasn't a smart move. The head of violet hair collided with something soft and immediately fell back on the ground again with a small thump, the demon's cheeks reddening considerably as he screwed his eyes shut. Oh God, she was going to _murder_ him.

"Rosette! I d-didn't mean to! I mean, I was and you were...Er!" he stammered unitelligably, bracing himself for her onslaught.

All that answered him was laughter.

Confused, the Sinner cracked one eye open in question. Rosette rolled out of their compromising position and onto her back, still filled with laughter as looked up at the sky. "You think this might be someone's way of telling me that I'm dwelling on Joshua too much?" she inquired, the laughter subsiding into light chuckles.

He nearly breathed a sigh of relief. So she hadn't noticed that he accidently... Well, he'd certainly _never_ forget that brief moment for as long as he lived.

"We did come out here to get away for awhile and relax," she continued, placing her hands behind her head as she watched the thin tufts of clouds drift overhead. "I should really try to clear my head of worrying for at least a little while."

A pause followed her speech and the two simply watched the sky, absorbed in the tranquil atmosphere.

And then suddenly, like a bolt of lightning, the blonde exorcist sat straight up.

"**Chrno**."

He swallowed from the harshness of her tone as she spoke his name, wondering if perhaps she had just remembered what happened a couple minutes earlier, but sat up alongside and met her gaze directly, despite his inner fear.

Rosette's cerulean eyes locked tightly with his firey crimson orbs. "Chrno, if I even _mention_ Joshua again on this outing, I want you to stop me before I ruin the whole trip. _Got that_?"

The demon boy raised an eyebrow in bewilderment. "Stop you? What do you mean?"

She threw her arms up in frustration. "I don't care what you do, but you better do _something_!" She leaned in closer to him, her voice softening slightly."Promise me, Chrno."

There was a desperation in her voice he wasn't familiar with, but her eyes were full of determination. It was a strange request, but obviously important to her, so how could he refuse?

"Okay, okay. I promise," he agreed with a small hint of a smile.

The teen nun favored him with a smile of her own. "Thanks, Chrno. I'm counting on you."

It was rare to hear those words from her, but comforting. He knew the firey girl was strong and disliked relying on anyone. She must have learned to trust him a great deal in order to openly allow herself to lean on him for something. Chrno felt himself swell with something akin to pride. _He wouldn't let her down_.

The demon Sinner cleared from his thoughts and nodded to Rosette as he rose to his feet, offering a hand to his blonde companion. She graciously took it, allowing him to pull her swiftly to her feet, but switched her gaze to the ground as she glanced around their forms with a frown.

"Chrno, where's the basket?"

He blinked quizically, having forgotten all about their packed lunch. "I guess I must have dropped it before I jumped after you," he said, crimson gaze lifting back up to the edge they had fallen from.

Rosette rolled her knuckles on the crown of his head. "Well what are you waiting for? _Go get it_!"

"Hai..." he mumbled, rubbing the top of his head as he started making his way back up to the top of the plateau.

"I'll be waiting for lunch up on that hill!" she called cheerily, waving to a large and grassy slope.

"Hai..." he grumbled once more.

At least she was excited about the _food_.

...

Chrno had to admit, it was a beautiful area. Summer had settled in and the light June breezes were gentle and refreshing. Golden sunshine poured over the hill they were sitting upon, an inviting warmth that caused his eyes to close. Nature's song flooded all around them. Birds twittering sweetly in the treetops, the gentle cascade of a small waterfall pouring down into the crystalline lake below, the light brushing of leaves and blades of grass against each other as the wind blew upon them fondly, a carniverous beast greedily devouring something nearby...

_Wait a minute_...

A sweatdrop gracefully lined the side of the violet-haired demon's head as he watched his Contractor attack the food before them mercilessly. He bit down on his own sandwich and chewed quietly, crimson eyes trained on the rapidly disappearing meal. He swallowed, ruby orbs glancing up to the girl as she hurriedly stuffed her face.

"Rosette, if you don't slow down, not only will there be nothing left for later, but you'll probably get a stomachache from inhaling everything in sight."

"I fno fwy frimits," she declared through a mouthful of food, waving a hand casually.

Her face suddenly purpled and he sighed, offering her a glass of fruit juice, which she quickly drank to help the food down. "_Sure_, you know your limits alright," he muttered sarcastically and she shot him a glare.

Finally clearing her throat, she kept her sapphire glower trained on him. "I don't know how you can stand to eat like a mouse," she raised a skeptic eyebrow at him as he took another small bite of his meal.

Chrno shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't actually _need_ the food, like you do," he offered. "Though I don't think you need it so badly that you have to eat like a raging lioness."

She dropped the emtpy cup to blanket and lunged at him, teeth bared. "_Raging lioness_, huh? I'll show you a raging lioness!"

The red-eyed demon dropped his sandwich in surprise, falling back onto the ground as Rosette jumped him and pulled at his face. "Got something else to say, chipmunk cheeks?"

He growled in growing frustration, retaliating by pulling her left cheek out with his thumb and forefinger and grabbing a hold of her right arm with his other hand. She grunted and yanked her arm free, quickly dislodging both hands from his face and latching to his violet strands instead.

He stiffened. "Oh _no_. Not the hair, Rosette," he warned.

She grinned devilishly and pulled at his locks, eliciting a yowl from demon boy. He scowled back at her through a grimace of pain.

Wanted to play _dirty_, did she?

Rosette blinked as he suddenly grinned back up at her, baring his canines. In seconds, the tides were turned as he whipped himself out from underneath of her, surprising the young woman as he quickly took a hold of her wrists and pinned her to the grassy ground. "I gave you fair warning," he stated, still smiling dangerously.

Oh, he knew her vice better than _anyone_ did. And she deserved its exploit for tugging his poor hair after he had specifically asked her not to.

The grin tugged his lips farther apart. "I know your _weakness_, Rosette Christopher."

Her face contorted from dumb shock to an angered warning. "Don't you dare, Chrno! That's not fair!"

"And pulling my hair _was_?"

He didn't give her time for a reply. Instead, the demon let his grip abruptly fall from her wrists and immediately attacked her middle with his skilled hands, causing the girl to squeal with laughter. He continued his onslaught as she wriggled beneath him in shrieks of uncontrolled mirth, using her free hands to refasten themselves into his violet mane amidst his sneaky attack. She used his hair like reigns in both hands as she rolled around in fits of strained and heavy laughter beneath his form, forcing his head to follow her movements. Each continued their respective tortures upon their atagonist, determined to be the victor. And one particularly rough yank on Chrno's hair sent him dangerously offbalance. He fell to the side, still gripping tightly to her sides as she gasped through a break in laughter.

And the two tumbled down the hill in a rolling heap, still tearing at each other in a frenzy as the descent continued.

The air was mixed with bursts of laughter, yelps of surprise, and grunts of violent amusement all the way to the base of the hill. Even upon landing, the struggle continued for a moment, before the two collapsed in exhastion, panting wildly.

The demon was the first to realize they had landed in a _startling_ position for a second time. He was on top, face buried in the crook of her neck and held captive to its position by her hands, which were still twisted in his tangled mass of hair, the ribbon mysteriously missing from the long violet strands. His legs were situated with one between hers whilst the other had somehow curled around her right leg during the scuffle down the slope. Her lips were nearly to the tip of his left ear, breathing gently across the small apendage. And his hands were still secured to her waist, though no longer roaming in an attempt to tickle her senseless.

Any spectator would certainly think they'd been doing _more_ than rough-housing. Chrno felt his face heat at the thought.

Rosette's heavy breathing finally calmed a bit and she rubbed her knuckles on the back of his skull. "Once I get my strength back, you're going to pay for resorting to such a low tactic," she declared.

He growled into her shoulder. "That was your just reward for pulling my hair."

A vein popped out on her forehead and she gave a rough tug to the hand still embedded in his purple locks, extracting another strangled growl from the demon laying on top of her. "Rosette, give it up already. You know how much I don't like it when you do that."

Another yank on his abused mane was the only reply he was given.

Losing his patience with her, he bit down between her neck and shoulder where his head was still forcibly held.

"YEOWCH!" Rosette squealed, losing her grip on his hair amidst the shock. "**CHRNO**!"

She roughly kicked him off of her, glaring daggers at him as she sat up and rubbed the puncture gingerly. "What the hell was _that_ for?"

He met her glower of death head on as he raised himself to his elbows. "For pulling my hair again!"

"_I'll do more to you than just pull your hair, you little-_"

He snatched her hand before it could reach him once more, meeting the rush of anger in her blue eyes with a calm but serious luster in his own crimson ones.

"Rosette, that's **enough**."

It was final. And he saw the resigned recognition in her eyes as she let her hand fall back to her side with a sigh. She glanced at the mark that broke through her clothing."Well you didn't have to bite me," she mumbled, a blush gracing her cheeks despite the scowl on her face.

He shrugged with a half-smile. "Maybe you'll think twice before you decide to put your hands on my hair again."

"Hmph," she huffed in reply.

Chrno smiled back at her and she stuck her tongue out at him childishly.

But his attention was soon torn as something cool brushed against the side of his hand. Curious, he let his gaze fall down to the ground by his left hand. A strange cylindrical object lay there innocently, a red plastic piece fastened to the end. He blinked and picked it up, holding it before himself and his companion. "What in the world is _this_?"

"Oh, whipped cream!" Rosette spoke with excitement. "We were going to have strawberry shortcake for dessert later, so I brought that canister along. It's rather new, the way it was constructed. At least, that's what the old pervert said."

Chrno twirled the object around, viewing it with some weird sort of fascination. "Anything the Elder recommends or invents usually has some sort of _explosive_ factor."

Finally figuring the red thing was a cap of some sort, he popped it off as Rosette giggled. "It's not going to blow up, Chrno," she assured.

He fiddled around with the protrustion on the top, still not grasping how the object was supposed to work. "What's this thing for?" He leaned the can forward toward Rosette and forced his dark-skinned finger against the little white thing on the head.

Rosette blanched. "Wait! Don't point that at me, Chrno. It's going to-"

**SPLOOCH.**

A thick liquid that greatly resembled milk shot out of the hole in the top of the white protrusion, squirting messily all over Rosette's face. Chrno dropped the can to the ground, gasping in horror of his accidental slip-up as his Contractor's face turned a frightening shade of red beneath the sticky white fluid.

"I didn't do it on purpose, Rosette!" The crimson-eyed demon pleaded as he panicked and wildly searched around or a napkin or something, until he remembered they'd fallen down from the hill the basket was still set upon.

The nun's shoulders shook in barely-contained rage as she quickly retrieved the fallen can. "_YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO SHAKE IT FIRST, YOU **IDIOT**!_" she snarled, roughly strangling the can up and down at high speed.

Before the demon could defend himself, she pointed the tip at his face and proceeded leave a thick pattern of chaotic cream on his features in retaliation for his little _accident_. Then she sat back, crossing her arms and staring at him defiantly, as though daring him to tell her she'd done something uncalled for. He merely blinked back at her, a drop of cream falling off of his chin and landing upon one of his shoes.

Her lip gave a tell-tale twitch and she burst out in chuckles, pointing toward his bewildered visage. "You should see your face!" she giggled uncontrollably. "You look _so_ stupid, Chrno."

Unable to help himself, he joined in her infectious laughter. "You don't look so wonderful yourself, _Miss milk face_."

His breath suddenly caught in his throat as her hand reached out and her index finger removed a smudge of cream from his cheek. Wide crimson eyes were trained on her face as she returned the said apendage to her mouth as she sucked on it thoughtfully. "Hmm, not bad," she remarked.

Chrno sputtered, certain his cheeks were aflame beneath the protection of the white confectionary. How could she so casually...?

Amused by his reaction, the blonde girl chuckled and poked the cheek she had confiscated the whipped cream from. "If only Joshua could see your face right now," she whispered fondly, her expression abruptly saddening.

Chrno's eyes widened in shock.

**Joshua**.

She said his name. That meant he had to do _something_. He promised her!

But...what could he do? He was the one who finalized the end of their scuffle. Bringing it back to life probably wouldn't sit well with her after he was the one who demanded its conclusion.

Rosette was oblivious to his troubled inner workings as she rambled on about how silly he looked. Taking a small breath in preperation for an action he hoped he wouldn't regret, the violet-haired demon did the only thing he could think of.

Reaching out with both hands, he rested one on either side of her face, gently pulling her closer to him. She gasped in surprise, but any words she might have had to articulate were lost as his tongue glided over her sensitive cheek, cleaning off an area of liquid cream in its wake.

He pulled back and gazed steadily at her, his hands dropping back into his lap. The deep fucsia color of the blonde Sister's face suggested she wasn't thinking of Joshua _anymore_.

His lips lifted into a soft smile. "You're right, Rosette. That stuff isn't too bad at all."

The usually-firey exorcist's mouth was open, gaping at her demon friend as though he'd sprouted his horns back. Her azure eyes were broad, questioning, and still full of dumb shock from his unexpected action.

Yup. Chrno was definitely assured that her thoughts were no longer drifting toward her lost brother. He'd done his duty and kept his word.

The fact that he _enjoyed_ that little stunt, however, he couldn't deny. And the thoughts that ensued were beginning to taunt him.

Rising quickly to his feet, the crimson-eyed demon held a hand out to his gaping companion. "Why don't we head down to the lake and get cleaned up?" he suggested, curling his fingers in and out in a silent invitation.

She finally tore her gaze from his face and snapped her mouth shut. Still not trusting herself to speak at the moment, she simply nodded and allowed him to lift her up a second time.

But he still didn't let go even once she was back on her own two legs. Instead, he gave her hand a tug and began leading her down toward the blue waters in silence. Rosette stared at their locked hands, wondering what the demon could have been thinking when he...er, skillfully lifted the sticky stuff from her face in such a _bold_ way.

And for the life of her, she couldn't explain why she **_liked_** it.

The lake itself had only been a few yards away from where they'd tumbled down the hill, and so they reached it rather quickly. Chrno finally let go of her hand as they arrived and knelt down by the water's edge, cupping his hands in the liquid and proceeding to rinse the white goop off of his face and out of his sticky purple bangs. He stared down at the liquid as his hair left droplets of water on the reflective top.

The body of water reminded him of her clear blue eyes. Tranquil at first glance, but a rushing torrent of strength when the winds blew the right way. Smiling to himself at the comparison, the hornless demon continued washing the cream away and payed no heed to the figure behind him.

Rosette strolled up behind the busy demon, whistling a tune nonchalantly as her eyes trained on his hunched form. He'd been showing her up **a lot** today. She wasn't used to it.

An evil smile lifted the corners of her lips at a particularly mean, but appealing urge that surfaced in her vengeful mind. Unable to resist, the good Sister kicked a boot out.

"Augh!"

The unsuspecting demon was caught with a foot to his rump, sending him head-first into the chilly waters with a large splash, and cracking the previously still surface of the lake with waves of ripples.

He surfaced a moment later, glaring at his Contractor through the wet violet bangs that were now plastered messily onto his face. However, she was too busy to notice his displeasure.

Too busy rolling on the ground and convulsing with laughter, that is.

Puffing his cheeks out in annoyance, the drenched demon lifted himself back onto the bank and approached the highly-amused form of Rosette as she continued to giggle. "Think that's _funny_, do you?"

She gasped between her laughter. "**_Hilarious_**!" the nun corrected. "You never saw it coming!"

With strength and speed he had rarely exposed in his smaller form, Chrno grabbed one of her flailing arms and pulled her directly forward, only allowing a single gasp to escape her throat as she tottered dangerously forward and toward the basin she'd just recently kicked him into. The disgruntled demon quickly pulled the pocket watch over her head and safely out of the harm's reach just before the teen exorcist lost her balance completely and landed unceremoniously into the lake with the combined noise of a giant splash and a girlish shriek.

Chrno smiled in satisfaction, patiently waiting for her angry and sopping wet head to surface. She really couldn't learn her lesson, could she? Hopefully this taste of her own medicine would stop her from pulling any spontaneous nasty jokes on him in the future.

Finally, a few bubbles rose to the surface and he waited expectantly for the rage of the soaking wet tornado Rosette to follow.

But all that reached the surface was a very familiar blue outfit, without the girl attached to it.

_What in the_...?

Fear erupted suddenly in Chrno's heart. Rosette could swim, _couldn't she_? Come to think of it, he'd never asked her that before. What if she _couldn't_?

Worry set in and he desperately stripped his red coat, shoes, and stockings off, preparing to dive in after her. And just as he reached the edge and leaned toward the water, a head of blonde hair broke the surface with a strangled gasp.

Taken by surprise, the demon lost his balance and once again fell face first into the watery depths.

He half-expected her to laugh at his fumble when he resurfaced, but instead his crimson gaze met a concerned glint in her blue eyes, a bright red hue gracing all the way across her wet face. "Rosette?"

She hugged her arms firmly under her bust and Chrno saw the problem before she voiced it. "I lost my Magdalan Order habit, Chrno. I don't know where it went." She bit her lip. "I tried to look for it once I lost it underwater, but I didn't see it."

Chrno pointed to his left, where a soaked navy uniform was bobbing slowly toward the base of the small waterfall. "It surfaced before you did," he explained.

"Well let's go and get it before it drifts away!"

Rosette grabbed his hand forcefully and dragged him along behind her as she made her way against the small current produced by the waterfall. Chrno tried not to stare at the appealing way the white cotton fabric clung transparently to her back, but was finding it hard to tear his eyes away from it as he was tugged even closer to her as they proceeded through the water.

She certainly _wasn't_ a little girl anymore, not by a long shot. She'd grown up splendidly in the past few years.

But she _was_ still his. Not Remington's, or even Joshua's. No, the contract bound her to _him_, and him alone.

He blushed deeply at the thoughts that followed. The demon couldn't help but be a little possessive of the young woman, even if it was selfish of him to think of her in that manner. She was precious to him and he could never let her go. As much as he was against the contract with her at first, he learned to treasure it and even _live_ for it. And even if breaking the contract were an option now, he wasn't sure he'd be able to give up that bond anymore.

What would _Rosette_ say if she knew he harbored such thoughts in context to her?

Chrno found himself suddenly feeling thankful Rosette couldn't read minds. _Very_ thankful.

And the deep crimson eyes stayed locked to her form in silence as the watery promenade continued.

They were nearly under the waterfall by the time the firey blonde managed to grasp a hold of the heavy blue clothing. She lifted it up out of the liquid, eying it with obvious irritation. "It's completely soaked, thanks to _you_!" she accused her purple-haired companion. "And it'll probably shrink!"

"You knocked me into the water first!" he shot back.

"Yeah, well you didn't lose any-"

Her words died off as she abruptly caught his appearance fully for the first time since the plunge, and a blush rose back to her cheeks. "When did you lose _your_ clothes?"

Chrno raised an eyebrow at her, trying to keep his ruby-colored eyes from wandering farther down than her face. "I discarded them before I prepared to jump in after you," he clarified. "I thought maybe you didn't know how to swim."

She tore her eyes away from his drooping suspenders and drenched white top. "Of course I know how to swim!" she said heatedly, bopping him upon his head.

He held himself back from retailiating and chose just to send a glare of annoyance in her direction. "How was I supposed to know that? You weren't surfacing."

There was a pause, and then, "Were you _worried_?"

The question caught him offguard. Usually she would continue arguing until the bitter end. "Yes," he admitted softly. "Like I said, I wasn't sure if you could swim. I thought you might have been drowning." He stopped his speech for a moment, allowing the fire of his eyes to lock with the calm watery blue of hers. "_Of course_ I was worried, Rosette. I don't want to lose you."

She felt her cheeks heat up from his gentle admission. Chrno wasn't usually very open with his feelings at all, and to hear how much he cared for her in such a manner was heart-warming. She remembered the time he'd lost it once when she'd been winded by the spirit demon, and how relieved he was that she was still alive afterwards.

He geniunely cared for her. _Deeply_.

And although she'd mask it over with haughty words and misleading actions, she cared very deeply for him as well. Just _how_ deep, though, she wasn't sure.

The young Sister took the wet demon into her arms, hugging him tightly. "I'm sorry, Chrno."

And he returned the gesture, wrapping his smaller arms about her middle. He was glad she was here, alive and with him. The steady beating of her heart met his sensitive pointed ears and reassured him more than any words ever could.

He loved that sound. He'd protect it. And he'd protect her. _Always_.

Patting his back, she gently pulled away from his and he loosened his grip. Chrno was slightly disappointed that their little moments never lasted very long, but he couldn't be selfish about _everything_.

"I need to get the rest of this sticky feeling off of my face," Rosette declared, wading to the waterfall. "Especially where you _slobbered_ on it."

A blush painted back over his tanned cheeks at the recollection of the said action. It had been rather..._forward_ of him to do something like that. Still, it worked in distracting her before she started getting depressed about...

"Joshua."

Chrno nearly slipped backwards into the water in surprise. Did she just say what he thought she had?

"We should show him this place when we all become explorers someday, Chrno. I think he'd really like it." Her eyes glazed over slightly as she recalled something pleasant.

Chrno approached her slowly, watching the waterfall dance over her already-soaked form, ringlets of gold clinging to her shoulders and streams of warm water criss-crossing over her open skin.

He promised her.

She was still unaware of him, lost in the reaches of some distant memory. But he'd bring her back again.

_He promised her._

The Sinner situated himself in front of her, the waterfall from directly overhead carving around him just as it was playing upon her. "Rosette, you've said enough."

He swiftly snatched one clump of blonde hair from each of her shoulders and gently tugged on each handful, bringing her face to his in the blink of an eye. And the violet-haired demon wasted no time in fastening his lips over hers, thoroughly enjoying the feeling and sensations of her wet and warm skin against his own.

He promised her. And he'd _keep_ that promise.

The demon was mildly surprised when he deepened the kiss and Rosette readily responded to him, bringing her tongue into play as she boldly asked for entrance. And he indulged in her request almost immediately, his hands finding their way to her back and tracing over the wet creases in her soaked under-clothing as the waterfall continued to dump warm, clear liquid endlessly upon the intimately bonded couple.

Rosette's skilled hands worked his skin-tight shirt open, pealing the sodden folds away far enough to rest her bare hands against the dark skin. She carressed his wet chest, earning a moan from deep within the demon's throat. He took the opportunity to release his lips from hers and lowered his head to the juncture of her neck and shoulder. A light imprint of his fangs was still visible upon the flesh where he had impulsively bitten through her clothing much earlier. He licked at the sensitive skin and kissed it repeatedly, apologizing for his former action as he sucked gently on the nearly-invisible wound.

Satisfied, he finally pulled away and gazed into her eyes, water still spilling over his soggy bangs. She might hit him for his actions, but at least he was sure he wasn't the only one who enjoyed what they had just shared. And judging from the way her eyes were half-glazed as stared back at him, he'd succeeded once again in pulling her mind away from her brother.

Perhaps even _more_ than succeeded, this time.

Their outing might get a little more _interesting_ after that heated encounter.

He gripped her wrist lightly and led her out from underneath the waterfall's gentle cascade. "We'd better head back to the car and get a change of clothes before we catch a cold, Rosette."

Chrno snatched her navy habit as it floated by, quickly leading her up to the bank and helping her out of the basin before retrieving the life clock and his own soggy clothing.

As they passed by the bottom of the hill they'd had their picnic upon, Rosette knelt down and retrieved the forgotten canister of whipped cream. She held it up between them and smiled suggestively to her partner.

"Don't forget, Chrno. We still have _dessert_ for later."

She winked and he grinned back at her, baring his canines just slightly.

"I like strawberry shortcake."

...Holy cow. That was quite suggestive near the end, wasn't it? I still didn't consider it limey, though. Nothing really intimate took place beyond kissing. Anyway, call it OOC if you want. I pushed both characters pretty far, but I think I kept my grips on who they were. You're free to disagree if you'd like, of course.

I know the title had almost nothing to do with the fic itself, but I just have a habit of naming stories after something I mention only once or twice and especially at the very end. Sorry if that happens to bother anyone. I do make exceptions sometimes, but this one was particularly hard to name.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. I had a lot of fun exploring humorous elements in this, so I hope it worked. I also did include quite a few _cliches_, but I hope you'll forgive me. They're fun. And I know it was kind of long, but I like to write long!

Well, that's the conclusion of CC fanfiction number two, for me. Due to some requests, I've thought about continuing my first CC one-shot. I don't know what I'll do with it yet, and I make no promises regarding it, but I'll give it a shot, okay?

Please review if you can spare the time! I really, really appreciate it!

Thank you for reading.


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